"Master Duy, let me handle this."
Ryoma suddenly appeared on the battlefield, setting Rin down gently.
Might Duy glanced at him, full of doubt.
"I'm Ryoma," he said calmly. "It's fine—leave this to me. Release the Eight Gates Formation, otherwise you'll die."
But Might Duy shook his head. "No! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are our enemy!"
He prepared to strike again.
"Honestly…" Ryoma sighed. He didn't want to reveal too much strength, but Duy clearly didn't trust him.
"Wood Style: Tree World!"
This was an S-rank technique Ryoma had recently mastered—an advanced version of Tree World Birth after fusing with fifty percent of Hashirama Senju's chakra card.
The ground rumbled violently as his chakra surged. The earth split apart with a deafening crack, and the terrain instantly transformed.
From the depths, colossal tree trunks burst forth, shattering rock and tearing through the landscape, turning the battlefield into a massive basin engulfed in writhing wood.
In mere moments, the terrain itself had been reshaped.
Several great blossoms bloomed upon the towering trees. As their petals spread, they released clouds of poisonous pollen—any who inhaled it would collapse, paralyzed and unconscious.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—now only six after their losses—found themselves trapped inside the newly formed basin.
"This… is Wood Release?!"
"Who is that boy?!"
"So young… is he Konoha's newest genius?"
"There's no intel on him at all!"
Even Uchiha Mikoto, who had been carrying a student on her shoulder, stopped in her tracks. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Ryoma's back, momentarily dazed.
Mebuki Haruno stood frozen as well, unable to process what she had just witnessed.
No one expected Ryoma's first move to be this overwhelming.
Too fierce.
Even Might Duy, stunned by the sudden surge of power, finally relented. He deactivated the Eight Gates Formation—and collapsed instantly.
Gasps rose. Duy's right arm and leg were shattered. Just moments ago, he had struck Jinin Akebino and clashed with Kisame Hoshigaki, but in doing so his limbs had broken. Such was the terrifying price of opening the Eight Gates.
"Dad!" cried young Guy as he rushed to his side.
Duy managed a faint smile, ruffling his son's hair. "I'm fine…"
Then he passed out.
"Dad!"
Ryoma glanced at the boy. "Don't worry, your father only fainted. He's not in danger, but his limbs are broken."
"Teacher! Please save my father!" Guy pleaded.
Ryoma turned to Mikoto. "Mikoto, tend to him. I'll handle the remaining six."
"O-okay!" Mikoto answered quickly.
The instant she spoke, Ryoma's figure vanished.
The six remaining Swordsmen realized the danger immediately.
"That Wood Release… he's no ordinary shinobi."
"He must have a kekkei genkai—like the Second Mizukage!"
"We can't fight him. Retreat!"
"Yes!"
The Six Swordsmen scattered, trying to escape.
But hundreds of Ryoma's shadow clones appeared in the air, cutting off every path.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
At the same time, enormous tree roots surged from the ground, coiling and snapping like monstrous serpents, hemming the swordsmen in as if a titanic carnivorous plant were closing its jaws.
Uchiha Mikoto froze, dumbstruck at the sight.
"Mikoto-sensei! Don't just stare—please save my father!"
Flushing, Mikoto glared at Guy before kneeling to treat Duy's injuries.
"I can help a little too," Rin said softly, stepping forward.
Guy blinked at her porcelain-doll face, eyes wide in disbelief. "Y-you can use medical ninjutsu too?"
Rin nodded and crouched beside Duy, her hands glowing green with healing chakra.
"You're from Ryoma's class, right?" Mikoto asked, curiosity in her voice.
"Yes, sensei. I'm Rin Nohara, from Team Seven," Rin replied obediently.
"So cute…"
On Ryoma's side of the battlefield, the fight was nearly over.
Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, one man in black wielded twin blades crackling with lightning—the Thunder Swords, Kiba. Arcs of electricity danced wildly around him, frying every root and vine that drew too close.
This man was none other than Kurosuki Raiga.
Ryoma's shadow clone rushed in to finish him, but before it could land a strike, a thin blade shot out, piercing three clones in an instant.
A harsh sound of threads scraping echoed as Kushimaru Kuriarare tugged his wire-bound blade, shredding the clones into nothing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But on the opposite side, one of Ryoma's clones charged at Kushimaru. In its hand, lightning flared brilliantly, shrieking like a thousand birds.
"Chidori!"
Though only at Level 3, Ryoma had already achieved proficiency with it.
Kushimaru's eyes widened—too late. His right arm was cleaved off in a flash of light.
Raiga roared and lunged, driving his blade through the clone that struck Kushimaru. But even as he did, more of Ryoma's clones swarmed forward, pressing them both down.
Within minutes, all six remaining Swordsmen were battered and bleeding.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of Ryoma's shadow clones overwhelmed them with sheer numbers.
The worst fate befell Jinpachi Munashi. Stunned by a clone's Chidori, he was swiftly decapitated.
Even Ryoma himself hadn't expected the battle to tilt this far.
From below, Uchiha Mikoto wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced at the battlefield, momentarily lost in thought.
The legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen—renowned and feared across the shinobi world—were being toyed with by Ryoma as though they were children.
The difference was staggering.
Mebuki Haruno trembled as she whispered, "This is the power of our bloodline's true heir… The Senju clan is terrifying."
On the field, Fuguki Suikazan and Jūzō Biwa roared in unison:
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Dense fog surged across the battlefield, rolling and thickening until it swallowed everything in pale whiteness. Normally, the Mist's signature jutsu was used to strike unseen, blades flashing from the shroud.
But this time, the infamous assassination technique was being used to cover their retreat.
Ryoma smirked. "Trying to run? That's impossible." His voice cut through the mist. "Tell me where Terumī Mei is."
...
TN:
🦊 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin (+30 Chaps)